IPSTDS Chapter 24

Chapter 24

His vision brightened again.

Nahyuk quietly took in the scene before him. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a hospital or his room.

‘A classroom?’

It was a school classroom. As he looked around further, he saw boys in school uniforms.

‘Is this another dream?’

He figured it might be like before—another dream showing Yoon Noah’s high school days. Probably another scene from Yoon Noah’s memories…

Nahyuk blended in calmly, surprisingly at ease.

He was curious about what had happened to his collapsed body, but he didn’t know how to wake up from the dream—and honestly, he was curious about these past events.

Especially about this “Park Sangcheol.” What kind of grudge did that guy hold to want to hurt their sweet and kind Kim Daon?

It seemed to be break time, with the students chatting freely. None of the faces looked familiar. Then again, the only ones he might recognize were Seo Dowoong and Kim Daon.

Then, a loud noise broke the peace of the classroom.

“Damn, that hurts like hell.”

The boy who entered through the front door had a face far too mature-looking for a high school student.

Sharp features, a fierce expression, dark skin—and most notably, lips that looked like they’d been punched.

His lips were scabbed with dried blood, and a vertical bandage was stuck to his cheek.

‘A thug who skips studying to fight. Definitely not my type.’

As rough as he looked, the boy also acted aggressively toward others.

“What’re you staring at? Look away.”

He kicked one of the desks with a loud bang, then met Nahyuk’s gaze.

“Well, look who it is. Isn’t it Yoon Noah, Seo Dowoong’s little puppy?”

He strode up to him with big, confident steps.

Yoon Noah, the owner of Nahyuk’s perspective, didn’t move. He simply looked up at the boy.

That seemed to annoy him even more. The boy slammed both hands down on the desk.

“Can’t answer me?”

Only then did Yoon Noah speak.

“You came to school all beat up—what makes you think you’ve got the guts to be here? God, you’re so ugly it makes me sick.”

Yep. Definitely Yoon Noah.

Compared to this guy’s size, Yoon Noah looked barely half his build—but he wasn’t the least bit intimidated, and that was pretty cool.

“What did you just say, you little—”

The boy couldn’t finish. Another student had entered through the back door.

“Park Sangcheol. Stop picking fights with Yoon Noah.”

Seo Dowoong casually set his bag down beside Yoon Noah as he spoke.

‘Park Sangcheol,’ as the boy had been called, glared at Seo Dowoong with narrowed eyes.

“Dowoong, you remember hitting me yesterday? It still hurts like hell.”

“Isn’t it embarrassing to lie and blame me just because you got beat up somewhere else?”

Seo Dowoong let out a short laugh and took his seat. Park Sangcheol trembled as he looked at him, clearly frustrated.

“And what, getting beat up is something to brag about now? I guess you’ve got nothing else.”

“Seo, Seo Dowoong! You think just because our company’s a subcontractor for your family’s that I’m beneath you? Let’s see how long you can act so high and mighty.”

Fuming to himself, Park Sangcheol stormed out of the classroom. Yoon Noah, having watched the whole thing, turned to Seo Dowoong with a worried expression.

“You really didn’t hit that jerk, right?”

“I don’t touch filth.”

“Fair enough… He does look like something you wouldn’t want to lay a finger on. But why does he keep lying and saying you hit him?”

“No idea. Maybe he got shot in the head.”

Seo Dowoong brushed it off like it wasn’t worth thinking about.

“Anyway, Yoon Noah. Are you really not going to dye your hair?”

“I’m a model student. Model students don’t dye their hair.”

“You? A model student? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.”

Seo Dowoong chuckled genuinely, then laid his head down on his desk. Resting his face on his arms, he looked up at Yoon Noah with a relaxed gaze.

“But seriously, how come you’re not tanned? It’s summer.”

“……”

“You’re really pale.”

His lashes blinked slowly—long and thick, almost like a doll’s. The eyes beneath them were heavy-lidded and drowsy.

Yoon Noah didn’t say a word. Anyone else might’ve snapped back, asking why it mattered if he tanned or not.

Then, in the silence that suddenly fell between them, ‘thump thump’—a heartbeat echoed. Probably Yoon Noah’s.

That’s where the dream ended. Everything began to dissolve once again.

The classroom filled with students shattered, and even the image of Seo Dowoong with his languid eyes half-open, as if seducing someone, disappeared as the dream ended.

“…Haa…”

Nahyuk exhaled in uneven bursts.

That all-too-familiar white ceiling flickered in his vision again. The scent of disinfectant—typical of hospitals—drifted faintly to his nose.

‘I’m alive… I didn’t die.’

He slowly took a deep breath, trying to calm his ragged breathing. At the same time, he checked over his body.

Fortunately, aside from being out of breath, nothing seemed particularly wrong. The heart that had felt like it was being torn apart was now calm, as if it had never hurt at all.

As breathing became easier, Nahyuk remained lying down and went over the scenes he had just seen in the dream.

They were vivid—so vivid it felt like they’d happened only yesterday. Especially Seo Dowoong’s face, his actions, and his voice—they were so clear it gave Nahyuk goosebumps.

His thoughts didn’t linger on Seo Dowoong for long. Soon, he recalled Park Sangcheol, the one he had seen in the dream for the first time.

The one who likely orchestrated Kim Daon’s accident. The one who, in the future, might still try to harm both Daon and Seo Dowoong.

At that moment, a soft, welcome voice called out.

“Sunbae! You’re awake?”

It was Kim Daon.

Only then did Nahyuk register that Daon had been watching over his hospital bed. His face looked weary, like he hadn’t slept a wink.

“Hold on, I’ll go get the doctor.”

Before Nahyuk could respond, Kim Daon hurried out of the room.

‘Seeing him run like that… he really wasn’t hurt. Then what was that crash I heard?’

While he was still thinking, the doctor and a nurse came rushing in.

Throughout the check-up, he didn’t feel any major pain. Perhaps because his illness didn’t involve any outward injuries besides his heart.

By the time the doctor and nurse left, night had fallen.

It was then Nahyuk finally asked the question that had been on his mind.

“Daon-ah. You’re not hurt at all?”

Sitting in the chair beside him, Daon slowly nodded.

“Yes. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

“That’s… such a relief.”

“It’s thanks to you, sunbae. I didn’t get hurt because of you. Thank you.”

“…Because of me?”

“Not long after you told me to get out of the car, some strange vehicle rammed into mine and sped off.”

The crash had been loud, but since Daon wasn’t in the car, he hadn’t been hurt at all.

And just like in the novel, the incident played out exactly as it had been described.

Nahyuk let out a thin breath. He was genuinely grateful that reality hadn’t followed the novel completely.

But just as he began to relax, a question came that put him on edge.

“I don’t want to press someone who just woke up, but… I need to know. How did you know that was going to happen?”

“Well…”

If he didn’t explain this properly, he could end up being misunderstood as the one who orchestrated the whole thing.

Would Kim Daon believe him if he showed the novel—something that only appeared on his phone?

No… could anyone else even see that novel in the first place?

Nahyuk fiddled nervously with his phone, unsure.

As more time passed without an answer, Daon didn’t press him, choosing to wait patiently.

The fortunate part was that Daon didn’t seem to suspect him. He just wanted an explanation.

Then, a warm sensation enveloped his clenched fist—Kim Daon had gently taken his hand.

“Sunbae. You don’t have to tell me now if it’s hard. Just take care of yourself first.”

‘How can someone be this kind?’

That single, worry-tinged sentence made Nahyuk’s eyes well up.

Maybe it was because he was physically weak that even his emotions had grown fragile. Just the fact that Daon held his hand had shaken him this much.

“Daon… you don’t suspect me?”

“No, I don’t.”

His answer was unwavering.

“The Noah sunbae I know isn’t the kind of person who would go so far as to stage a car accident just to hurt me.”

“…”

“But that doesn’t mean you should take it the wrong way. I didn’t say I completely trust you either.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not saying I believe you entirely. But I do know you’re not someone who’d do something that evil.”

“You’re right. I didn’t stage that accident.”

When Nahyuk admitted the truth outright, a small smile formed on Kim Daon’s lips.

The warmth of his hand, the quiet smile directed at him—those things gave Nahyuk the courage to finally speak up, after all his hesitation.

He still wasn’t sure how Daon would take it. There was a chance he wouldn’t believe anything he said.

But even so, Nahyuk wanted to tell him that the true mastermind was someone named Park Sangcheol. He was worried Daon might be targeted again.

“There’s someone else behind it. That person is—”

Just then, the door to the private room burst open, cutting off Nahyuk mid-sentence.

“How could you do something like this?”

The sharp voice belonged to Seo Dowoong.

As if words alone weren’t enough, Seo Dowoong stared at Nahyuk like he was looking at a criminal.

That icy glare made Nahyuk instinctively shrink back. The sheer pressure of it weighed down on him.

Seo Dowoong strode forward, unrelenting.

“Can you even call yourself human?”

‘What did he hear? Where did he hear it?’

Who was spreading the false claim that he, Nahyuk, had caused the accident rather than prevented it?

Despite his body flinching, Nahyuk replied with surprising composure.

“Seo Dowoong. I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”